A Merry Christmas can sure seem like a Messy Christmas for those who find themselves in a desperate situation. In Mark 5, Jesus has encounters with two very desperate people. One was a man, the other a woman. One was an important synagogue official, the other was a nobody. One had a 12 year old child, the other had a 12 year old affliction. And one was very wealthy while the other was completely bankrupt. The only thing these two people shared in common was that only Jesus could help them. They were desperate.
This Sunday we will look specifically at this woman. We find in verse 24 that a large crowd was pressing in on Jesus. there were people everywhere trying to touch this miracle working Rabbi. Among this crowd was a women who had suffered for 12 years with an incurable hemorrhage producing constant bleeding. She had received all of the available treatments, some of which were very painful. According to the Jewish Talmud, there were 11 treatments for this physical affliction including carrying the ashes of an ostrich egg in a linen bag and carrying a barley corn kernel found in the dung of a white female donkey. In the end, this woman had spent all she owned, yet her condition grew worse. But her desperateness wasn’t just physical. She had also lost all religious and social contact as well (Leviticus 15:25-27). This stigma of bleeding was 2nd in severity only to that of leprosy and required 7 days without bleeding to be considered ceremonially clean. This women’s life was messed up. She was desperate.
This dear lady had heard about Jesus’ power to heal which had aroused her faith. Maybe, just maybe, Jesus could help her desperate situation. She did not directly approach Jesus because of her uncleanness, but rather, came up behind Him and touched the hem of His garment. She believed that if she could touch His robe she would be healed. The present tense would give the idea that she kept thinking to herself, “If only I can touch His garment! If only I can touch His garment!” And when she finally was able to touch His robe she could instantly feel that her bleeding had stooped and she was healed. Once again we see the powerful principle that Jesus was touchable even by the untouchable.
Jesus immediately realized that power had gone out of Him. The power went out of Him, not His clothes…many were touching Him but only she was healed. He stops and asks who touched Him. Obviously, Jesus already knew the answer but He wanted to give her more than a physical healing…He wanted to establish a relationship with her. Jesus’ question seemed absurd to the disciples. After all, the crowds were all around Him and many were touching Him. How could He ask, “Who touched Me?” Jesus continued to look for this woman until their eyes met.
As Jesus speaks with her, He attributes her healing with her faith in Him that went far beyond physical healing. The Greek word for “healed” is the same term used for salvation in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus called her “daughter” showing a new relationship. This is the only time Jesus ever called a woman by this title. He then tells her to go in peace. Experiencing God’s power is not nearly as vital as knowing Him.
This Sunday we will look specifically at this woman. We find in verse 24 that a large crowd was pressing in on Jesus. there were people everywhere trying to touch this miracle working Rabbi. Among this crowd was a women who had suffered for 12 years with an incurable hemorrhage producing constant bleeding. She had received all of the available treatments, some of which were very painful. According to the Jewish Talmud, there were 11 treatments for this physical affliction including carrying the ashes of an ostrich egg in a linen bag and carrying a barley corn kernel found in the dung of a white female donkey. In the end, this woman had spent all she owned, yet her condition grew worse. But her desperateness wasn’t just physical. She had also lost all religious and social contact as well (Leviticus 15:25-27). This stigma of bleeding was 2nd in severity only to that of leprosy and required 7 days without bleeding to be considered ceremonially clean. This women’s life was messed up. She was desperate.
This dear lady had heard about Jesus’ power to heal which had aroused her faith. Maybe, just maybe, Jesus could help her desperate situation. She did not directly approach Jesus because of her uncleanness, but rather, came up behind Him and touched the hem of His garment. She believed that if she could touch His robe she would be healed. The present tense would give the idea that she kept thinking to herself, “If only I can touch His garment! If only I can touch His garment!” And when she finally was able to touch His robe she could instantly feel that her bleeding had stooped and she was healed. Once again we see the powerful principle that Jesus was touchable even by the untouchable.
Jesus immediately realized that power had gone out of Him. The power went out of Him, not His clothes…many were touching Him but only she was healed. He stops and asks who touched Him. Obviously, Jesus already knew the answer but He wanted to give her more than a physical healing…He wanted to establish a relationship with her. Jesus’ question seemed absurd to the disciples. After all, the crowds were all around Him and many were touching Him. How could He ask, “Who touched Me?” Jesus continued to look for this woman until their eyes met.
As Jesus speaks with her, He attributes her healing with her faith in Him that went far beyond physical healing. The Greek word for “healed” is the same term used for salvation in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus called her “daughter” showing a new relationship. This is the only time Jesus ever called a woman by this title. He then tells her to go in peace. Experiencing God’s power is not nearly as vital as knowing Him.
2 comments:
Oh, Pastor Scott,
I know your dislike for critics, grumbling and complaining, but this doesn't benefit me at all, unless you consider that I would not find such errors distracting when reading your blogs seriously.
I.e., ...."there were people..." (There - beginning sentence - cap T); "Among this crowd was a women..." (woman); "...that her bleeding had stooped..." (stopped).
In your previous two blogs - Hmmm, the word "stupidest" - acceptable, true, (the rule is - two syllable words, add er and est, or more and most, but not together.
My opinion is that "most stupid" sounds less like a teenager speaking. "Thee are even some..." (There); "... more true..." (truer - single syllable, add er or est)
We see such errors through your writings repeatedly, many of which are not "spell or grammar checker" proof. Consider waiting a few minutes before you proof read, because the flow of your words are still fresh in your mind, and so your brain doesn't pick up on the errors as your re-read.
Maybe consider to have your office staff proof read it.
You are intelligent and educated, and many of such errors occur when in a hurry, and sometimes they portray a different image.
Since the world is reading a lot of good things here, I just would like you to be the best you can be and convey your accuracy of your messages and thoughts without looking ridiculous with misspelled words and the like.
I know this is a no post comment, but that's OK, and I want you to know that I don't read your blog to scrutinize; the errors just pop up and are a distraction that generates scrutiny of the rest of what is being read, rather than focusing on the depth and content of what is being said.
Frankly, my hurrying generates the most common "your and you're" and "their and there" errors that my mom still corrects me on, and I'm a writer.
Hang in - surely you have quite a few thousands of blog hits to go.
A Nony Mous
P.S.: I'm so paranoid I have an error in here somewhere that I have read it at least a dozen times before sending. We all can do better, can't we?
Why do I have this sneaky suspicion that a school teacher (or perhaps a former teacher) reads my blog? Back when I was in high school we had the dreaded "5-grammar mistake rule!" If any paper we did in any class had at least 5 grammar mistakes it was an automatic "F"! As a result, back then I got pretty good at grammar. Today, however, it is not my best suit so I humbly accept and even post your comment knowing that it came from a heart of love...possibly even a teacher's heart. By the way, the only way I passed typing class in high school was by cheating...I think I am suffering the consequences of that still today!
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